I love the look of this closed deli at 677 Onderdonk Avenue in Ridgewood, Queens. And therefore it is extremely irritating that I can find out nothing about it.
The name is testimony to two of the cultures that once dominated this section of Queens. The marks on the word "Delicatessen" indicate that the sign was perhaps once outfitted with neon.
Take a look at this Schaller & Weber signboard still stuck in the window. One imagines the deli carried the famous Yorkville butcher's products. Odd hours. Evidently, this was a lunch place, and the owners perhaps woke up early to bake bread. Imagine getting yourself a fine, hot, loaf of rye here at 6 AM some morning!
The floor tiles at the entrance spell out the letters A and H. The initials of the owner, perhaps. Or maybe of a business that was here before the Deli. The tiles look about 100 years old.
In September, an application to the DOB was approved to do some work on the facade, so I imagine that great sign won't last. Does anyone know anything about this place?
This was my great grandparents deli. The A.H. are my great grandfather's initials which stand for Anton Hess. This deli originally opened around 1936. They later sold the deli to Barbra Kronacker.
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